Passion and Discipline: Venus Trine Saturn

Working with any kind of passion or talent, whether artistic, sexual, ideological, or other, requires a healthy dose of discipline to be of any use. You can have a knack for stringing phrases together with elegance and impact, but if you can’t be bothered to sit down at the computer on a regular basis, you’ll never "be a writer."

To come at it another way, all of the hottest, most explosive romantic trysts in the world do not add up to a solid relationship without some kind of foundation, container, or counterweight. Or—at the very least—some form of auxiliary fuel that burns way slower.

This weekend’s astrology is all about this balance and blending of passion (or talent) and discipline. It appears in the form of Venus, which ingresses Leo at 11:33 am EDT Friday, making a trine to Saturn, which is retrograde in the first degree of Sagittarius. The Venus-Saturn trine is exact Saturday at 2:23 am EDT.

Leo and Sagittarius are both fire signs; they bring the passion and the heat. Fire is also associated with the spirit. Both fire and spirit need to be consciously directed and fed to be constructive and life giving. Left unattended, fire can either fizzle out or blaze into a destructive inferno; so, too, can spirit (think "life without purpose" and "religious zealotry" for the equivalents).

What we have with Venus in Leo is that fire/spirit taking shape through the heart, and given an outwardly directed expression. Loyalty, affection, desire, and compassion are out in front where you can see them and feel them—sometimes in more dramatic or dramatized format than is strictly necessary. But then, some people really respond well to that; at the very least, it’s not an ambiguous message.

Saturn in Sagittarius gives spirit, passion, or philosophical zeal a clear container. With Saturn retrograde, the inner container is emphasized over any kind of external kind; that is, what shape your beliefs and spiritual life take within you, rather than the social constructs or dogma you ascribe to.

Touching on relationships again, containers, and structures matter. And by "container" or "structure," I don’t mean "label." It matters little whether you call yourself "married" or "polyamorous." It matters greatly that you and your partner(s) have defined some clear space of trust, intimacy, honesty, ethics, respect, and affection.

That’s the kind of container that allows passion to grow and morph and yet still get fed sustainably without letting the spark die—without consuming and destroying one or more of the people involved, along with the relationship. The idea is not for passion to leave you a burnt-out shell, but rather warmed and able to return warmth. This is Venus in a functional role that’s truly about love.

Saturn is more than just structures, though; there’s the discipline, responsibility, and authority facet. Discipline and responsibility are really just authority internalized in a functional way (as opposed to, say, the internalized voice of a domineering or abusive parent, which is dysfunctional).

As mentioned, this is what lets us turn our creative talents and passions into tangible results. You have to show up and do the work; you have to practice; you have to be willing to give it a try even when you don’t feel like it. Sometimes you let it rest; often you persevere.

Put that way, cultivating a talent sounds a lot like cultivating a relationship. Venus and Saturn in harmony this weekend are opening the flow for both. Against the backdrop of Mercury retrograde in Gemini—which will be stationing direct June 11—some harmony and flow could be very welcome in the midst of any missed connections, wayward communication, and temporary setbacks you’ve endured.